All United States flights and evacuations from the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul were suspended Monday amid deadly chaos that saw desperate people swarming departing planes and even falling from airborne jets.
At least seven people were killed at the Kabul airport as hundreds of people attempted to force their way onto the tarmac and cling to planes leaving the capital of Afghanistan, according to multiple witnesses. The chaos follows the Taliban‘s successful overtaking of the capital of Afghanistan on Sunday, when Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled the country and droves of Taliban fighters poured into the city without resistance.
White House deputy national security adviser Jon Finer said the U.S. does not have the ability to ensure Afghans a safe passage to the airport, but he added that the Taliban have been warned they will face “severe consequences” if they interfere with evacuation efforts.
“We are asking people, in an orderly way, when their flight is called. It’s not going to be just a free for all — it can’t, for security reasons, work that way. When people’s flights are timed, we’re asking them to show up at the airport to be present to get on those flights,” Finer told CNN’s New Day.
Finer said there will be more forces flowing in throughout Monday and Tuesday, adding, “We believe we have what is necessary to be able to enable these flights to continue as soon as possible.”
White House Deputy National Security Adviser Jonathan Finer says President Joe Biden has been “deeply engaged” on all Afghanistan policy matters.
“I expect that he will speak [about Afghanistan] soon,” he adds. pic.twitter.com/l1COmjYOV5
— New Day (@NewDay) August 16, 2021
At least seven people at the airport are dead as of Monday, a senior U.S. military officials said under the condition of anonymity, according to the Associated Press.
U.S. troopers reportedly shot and killed two armed men at Kabul’s airport on Monday. The armed men approached soldiers who were deployed to secure the location, though few details were released about the conflict, a U.S. official told the Wall Street Journal.
CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST ON THE AFGHANISTAN CRISIS
One of the witnesses said they had seen five bodies being carried to a vehicle on Monday. Another witness said it was not apparent whether the victims were killed by gunshots or a stampede, according to Reuters.
“This is our airport, but we are seeing diplomats being evacuated while we wait in complete uncertainty,” Rakhshanda Jilali, a human rights activist attempting to get to Pakistan, told the outlet in a message from the airport.
On Monday, the U.S. State Department said all embassy staff members reached the airport and are awaiting evacuations.
TOP BIDEN SPOKESWOMAN, JEN PSAKI, ‘OUT OF THE OFFICE’ AS AFGHANISTAN FALLS TO TALIBAN
One of the most iconic and symbolic scenes of our generation. US Air Force *excuses* itself through fleeing (and falling) young Afghans at Kabul’s airport, among other insane scenes pic.twitter.com/KNr81vlnyn
— Hassan I. Hassan (@hxhassan) August 16, 2021
2/ Kabul airport.#Afghanistan pic.twitter.com/Xi5TpMvRPi
— Farnaz Fassihi (@farnazfassihi) August 16, 2021
All commercial flights were suspended on Monday, causing citizens to sprint toward already-moving planes.
Multiple witness accounts claimed people were attempting to cling to the outside of airplanes as they were taking off into the sky. Videos circulating on social media depict people falling from planes shortly after they take off.
Latest pictures from Kabul Airport. People are on their own now while the world watches in silence. Only sane advise to Afghan people…RUN pic.twitter.com/RQGw28jFYx
— Sudhir Chaudhary (@sudhirchaudhary) August 16, 2021
In an effort to disperse some of the large crowds surrounding the tarmac, U.S. troops fired shots into the air to scatter the crowd. The Pentagon has authorized roughly 6,000 U.S. troops for the evacuation mission, up 2,000 from Friday.
In addition to a wave of citizens attempting to flee in desperation, widespread looting broke out across the city, prompting the National Museum of Afghanistan to plead on social media for the international community, security forces, and even the Taliban to defend artifacts at the institution on Sunday.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Over 60 Western countries, including the U.S., Britain, France, and Japan, issued a joint statement saying all Afghans and international citizens who wanted to leave must be allowed to do so.
